In alchemy and philosophy, prima materia, materia prima, or first matter, is the ubiquitous starting material required for the alchemical magnum opus and the creation of the philosopher's stone. It is
Alchemical emblem depicting the omnipresence of the philosophical matter. "The Stone that is Mercury, is cast upon the Earth, exalted on Mountains, resides in the Air, and is nourished in the Waters." (Michael Maier's Atalanta Fugiens. 1617.) The cubes represent prima materia.